PARIS, Sept 19, 2007 (AFP) - The French state will take a so-called 'golden share' in the to-be-merged energy group of Suez and Gaz de France to prevent sales of GDF assets like gas infrastructure, Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday.

A golden share gives the holder veto rights in certain circumstances and can be used to protect a company from possible takeover.

BRUSSELS, Sept 4, 2007 (AFP) - Merging French energy groups Suez and Gaz de France will honour Suez's past promises to open the Belgian market to more competition, the Belgian energy minister said Tuesday.

'They have committed to respecting the entirety of the agreements,' Energy Minister Marc Verwilghen said after a two-hour meeting in Brussels with Suez executives, including the company's number two Jean-Pierre Hansen.

PARIS, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) - The French government tied up the long-delayed merger of Suez and state-owned Gaz de France on Monday, giving the country another world energy champion in a sector that Paris was eager to protect from foreigners.

The new group, GDF Suez, will rank as the world's fourth biggest energy utility by market capitalisation, behind Russia's Gazprom, France's number one energy utility Electricite de France (EDF), and Germany's EON.

BRUSSELS, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) - GDF and Suez's tie-up marks the latest example of European energy groups merging in order to confront competition after successive waves of liberalisation of EU energy markets.

But while the European Commission helped unleash the current merger boom by leading the liberalisation drive, it still finds competition lacking and is preparing radical measures to fix the problem.

BRUSSELS, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) - The European Commission said Monday that it was up to Gaz de France and Suez to renotify their merger to Europe's top competition watchdog if they deemed it necessary.

The Commission approved the merger in November 2006 on condition that some assets be sold off to ensure that the new merged company would not strangle competition.

However, since then the deal has hit numerous snags and was only finally agreed on Sunday, but in a new form with plans for Suez to spin off its non-energy assets.

PARIS, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) - French energy group Suez and state-owned Gaz de France announced their long-awaited merger on Monday, creating the world's fourth biggest energy company by market capitalisation.

The French state will retain 40 percent of the new GDF-Suez, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said, highlighting that this meant the government would direct the new 90-billion-euro (123-billion-dollar) entity.

'We have the control, we will keep hold of the strategy,' Fillon said.

PARIS, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) - French energy group Suez and state-owned Gaz de France announced their merger Monday, creating the world's fourth biggest energy company by market capitalisation.

The state will retain more than 35 percent in the new GDF-Suez, which will be Europe's biggest energy company behind Russia's Gazprom, France's Electricite de France and Germany's EON, the companies said in a statement.

PARIS, Sept 2, 2007 (AFP) - The boards of French energy group Suez and state-owned Gaz de France (GDF) approved on Sunday a merger creating a European power giant after 18 months of delays, participants told AFP.

At the Suez board meeting, managing director Gerard Mestrallet asked if they agreed to the merger, said a source: 'And the board said yes.'

'There was a vote,' said the source at the GDF board meeting. 'All of the board voted for the new merger plan, except for the union organisations,' and one absent board member, he added.

PARIS, Sept 2, 2007 (AFP) - The board of French energy group Suez agreed at a Sunday meeting on a merger with state-owned Gaz de France (GDF) to create a new European power giant, a participant at the meeting told AFP.

Gerard Mestrallet, the managing director of Suez, asked the board if agreed to the merger, said the source: 'And the board said yes.'

PARIS, Sept 2, 2007 (AFP) - French energy group Suez and state-owned Gaz de France (GDF) are poised to agree a merger and create a new European power giant after 18 months of delays, sources close to the deal said Sunday.

Claude Gueant, a senior aide to President Nicholas Sarkozy, said the groups would announce the accord in a joint statement before the opening of the Paris stock exchange at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) Monday.

PARIS, Sept 2, 2007 (AFP) - French energy group Suez and state-owned Gaz de France (GDF) are 'headed for an agreement' on a merger to create a new European power giant after 18 months of delays, a source close to the negotiations said Sunday.

Both groups were expected to announce the accord in a joint statement before the opening of the Paris stock exchange at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) Monday followed by a joint press conference, the source said.

PARIS, Sept 2, 2007 (AFP) - French energy group Suez and state-owned Gaz de France (GDF) were believed Sunday to be on the brink of announcing a long-delayed merger to create a new European power giant.

According to union officials, the boards of both companies were to meet late Sunday following reports of a breakthrough in talks between Suez and the French presidency, which said a decision would be announced Monday.

PARIS, Sept 1, 2007 (AFP) - French energy group Suez and state-owned Gaz de France will announce Monday a decision on whether to merge into what would be one of Europe's biggest power companies, the French presidency said Saturday.

'The two companies will make an announcement on Monday whether to merge or not,' the secretary general of the French presidency Claude Gueant told AFP.

Suez's board will meet on Sunday to ratify the long-delayed merger, Le Parisien daily said Saturday.

PARIS, Sept 1, 2007 (AFP) - French energy group Suez and state-owned Gaz de France will announce Monday a decision on whether to merge into what would be one of Europe's biggest power companies, the French presidency said Saturday.

'The two companies will make an announcement on Monday whether to merge or not,' the secretary general of the French presidency Claude Gueant told AFP.

Suez's board will meet on Sunday to ratify the long-delayed merger, Le Parisien daily said Saturday.

PARIS, Aug 31, 2007 (AFP) - The long-delayed merger of French energy groups Suez and state-owned Gaz de France could be announced next week, creating one of Europe's biggest power companies after 18 months of delays, a source told AFP on Friday.

'Discussions are in progress' between Suez and the French presidency, said the source close to the negotiations. They 'could advance pretty quickly and lead to a deal at the beginning of the week, perhaps on Monday.'

PARIS, Aug 31, 2007 (AFP) - The long-delayed merger of French energy groups Suez and state-owned Gaz de France could be announced next week, creating after 18 months of delays one of Europe's biggest power companies, a source told AFP on Friday.

'Discussions are in progress,' said the source. They 'could advance pretty quickly and lead to a deal at the beginning of the week, perhaps on Monday.'

Earlier in the day, French news magazine Le Point had also set Monday as a likely date for the long-awaited merger's announcement.

PARIS, Aug 31, 2007 (AFP) - The French government could announce a merger between private energy group Suez and state-owned Gaz de France next week, the news magazine Le Point said Friday.

'The merger of GDF and Suez will be officially announced on Monday by the government,' the conservative weekly said on its website.

Suez chief executive Gerard Mestrallet reportedly managed to retain a chunk of the group's environment activities even though President Nicolas Sarkozy asked Thursday that the firm concentrate on the energy sector.

PARIS, Aug 30, 2007 (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday that he wanted French energy group Suez to 'make a strategic choice and specialise in energy' so it can proceed with its proposed merger with Gaz de France.

The statement suggested the French state wanted Suez to sell its 'environment' division, which includes water and other non-energy operations -- something that Suez has consistently ruled out.

PARIS, Aug 30, 2007 (AFP) - Shares in the French energy group Suez rose by 0.46 percent to 39.11 euros in afternoon trades Thursday after the company posted a strong operating profit despite 'unfavourable' climate conditions in Europe.

Suez said its first half gross operating profit had increased by 10.4 percent to 4.1 billion euros (5.6 billion dollars).

The company also reaffirmed its main targets for the full year of a rise of more than 15 percent in profit from continuing business and more than 10 percent in gross operating profit.

PARIS, Aug 29, 2007 (AFP) - The French government expects to reach a decision on the merger of state-controlled Gaz de France with private energy group Suez by the end of September, the government spokesman said Wednesday.

'We really do have to have a clear position by the end of September,' spokesman Laurent Wauquiez said.

The merger of Suez and GDF has been held up for almost 18 months because of legal obstacles, opposition from labour unions and elections earlier this year in France.

PARIS, Aug 28, 2007 (AFP) - The head of private French energy group Suez has written to President Nicolas Sarkozy in an attempt to unblock its stalled merger with state-controlled Gaz de France, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Gerard Mestrallet, Suez chairman and chief executive, has proposed a solution to the impasse in what could be a final offer and has warned that Suez could 'consider other options' in the event of more delays, the FT said.

ISMAILIYA, Egypt, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) - Egypt's Suez Canal boosted July revenues by 22.5 percent on an annual basis to 406.3 million dollars, Canal Authority spokesman Mahmud Abdel Wahab said on Thursday.

The rise comes after the canal last month announced a 17 percent annual increase in revenues for the 2006-2007 fiscal year to 4.168 billion dollars.

The Suez Canal, which opened in 1869, is Egypt's third largest source of revenue, after tourism and remittances from expatriate workers.

ISMAILIYA, Egypt, July 28, 2007 (AFP) - The Suez Canal was blocked for three hours Saturday by a cargo ship which broke down in Egypt's economically vital waterway, an official of the canal's authority said.

He told AFP that traffic was halted when Red Seto, a Panama-flagged ship loaded with 41,000 tonnes of goods, had mechanical problems near Suez on its way south to the Red Sea.

Tugboats were sent to move the cargo ship, as a line of at least eight other vessels built up behind the Red Seto.

CAIRO, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - The Egyptian authorities stepped up security measures along the Suez Canal on Friday to make way for the passage of the US aircraft carrier Enterprise, an official said.

'Security measures were strengthened on Friday for the passage of the nuclear-powered air craft carrier, the USS Enterprise, which will traverse the canal at dawn on Saturday accompanied by a nuclear submarine and several destroyers as well as a number of supply ships,' said the official.

ISMAILIYA, Egypt, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Egypt's Suez Canal posted record revenues in the 2006-2007 fiscal year of more than four billion dollars, an annual increase of 17 percent, the authorities announced on Thursday.

Ahmed Ali Fadel, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), told journalists on the 51st anniversary of the canal's nationalisation that it earned 4.168 billion dollars in the fiscal year ending in July.

The Suez Canal, which opened in 1869, is Egypt's third largest source of revenue, after tourism and remittances from expatriate workers.

BRUSSELS, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - EU regulators launched an antitrust action Thursday against Electricity de France and Suez`s Belgian unit Electrabel over suspicions they may have abused their market power in France and Belgium.

Following the opening of formal antitrust proceedings, the European Commission said it would carry out an 'in-depth investigation of the case as a matter of priority.'